


Not Your Penny

by ckwriteastory



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alice Quinn (mentioned) - Freeform, Declarations Of Love, F/M, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Marina (mentioned), Queliot (mentioned), Quentin Coldwater (mentioned) - Freeform, Soulmates, Timeline 23, soulmate magic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-27
Updated: 2018-03-27
Packaged: 2019-04-13 16:25:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14116287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ckwriteastory/pseuds/ckwriteastory
Summary: Moments after returning to the current timeline Penny is back in the flesh much to Kady's delight, but is he hers? Or does he claim to belong to someone else?





	Not Your Penny

“Well… this is just how I remember it…” Penny groused as he looked around the undamaged physical cottage.

“Yeah our Beast never got as far as yours did thank the gods for that one.” Josh informed him.

Penny threw Josh a death glare for the obvious explanation. “No shit.”

Julia brought her hands together, “Okay Josh go send a bunny to Quentin telling them all we have a key.” Julia was trying to defuse the situation and save Josh’s life.

“Right, I’m on it!” Josh bolted from the common room to find the bunnies.

One problem down Julia also noticed something else wrong. “Where’s Marina?”

“Don’t know,” Penny shrugged, “don’t really care.”

Julia search around and noticed the front door ajar. “Great, she’s probably out there causing chaos in this timeline too. Let’s hope she’s just ransacking the library.”

Julie realized she may as well have been talking to a wall because Penny wasn’t hearing a word she said. He was no longer looking around the cottage, but at her. The same look he had when he first saw her in the 23rd timeline.

“You need to stop looking at me like that, and fast.”

“I’ll always look at you like this.” His voice seemed to get lower and he took a step closer.

“We just had this talk literally minutes ago.” Julia took a step back, “I am not her.”

Penny brushed off Julia’s rebuff, “Doesn’t matter you’re still Julia.”

“Penny?” They heard a voice call from upstairs.

Penny looked up, “Who’s that?”

“Penny?” The voice got louder, “Penny is that you?” Rushing feet could be heard coming down the stairs and the voice rose with more excitement, “Penny!”

“Oh shit,” Julia muttered.

Kady entered the room shooting off questions. “How are you even here?” Kady turned to Julia, “Did you build him a body like Alice tried? You know what who the fuck cares you’re here! Gods I missed you,” too thrilled to wait for any answers Kady threw herself into Penny’s unreceptive arms.

She grabbed his face then went for his lips. They kissed for less than a second when Penny pulled back. His eyes shot to Julia as he evaded the kiss.

Kady had a confused expression on her face she couldn’t understand why Penny didn’t kiss her back or appeared happy to see her. In the driest voice Penny said, “This is cool and all, but who the hell are you?”

Kady flinched from Penny’s hurtful words, as if Penny had physically struck her. “What?”

Julia mildly curious asked, “You don’t know Kady?”

“She doesn’t ring a bell.”

Kady was through being discussed right in front of her, “What the _fuck_ is going on?!”

“Kady calm down please,” Julia tried to say in a soothing voice.

“Don’t tell me to calm the fuck down,” Kady stepped back from them both as she got louder, “tell me why Penny doesn’t have a clue as to who the fuck I am!”

Julia thought for a minute and just with the simplest explanation. “This isn’t your Penny.”

“Not my Penny?” Kady said the words slowly as they made no sense to her.

“He’s from an alternate timeline. From timeline 23 of us trying to defeat the Beast. Our Penny is still stuck in the underworld and we have no idea how to get him out of there. Marina is also roaming around on campus somewhere.”

The entire time Julia clarified the situation to Kady, Penny moved closer to her. By the time she was finished speaking his hand rested on her lower back. A clear sign of support for her in solidarity. As if apologizing for the almost kiss with Kady. All the proximity and support being totally unnecessary.

The small gesture did not get past Kady. Kady narrowed her eyes at the barely visible space between Julia and Penny. Julia could feel the waves of anger coming off Kady. Their relationship was fragile enough as it is Julia didn’t want or need another riff with Kady.

She removed herself from Penny’s space. Now Penny appeared to take offense to no longer being in her personal space. Julia could not win with this group. He was going to have to suck it up because when Kady is angry everyone would get a piece of her mind.  

“You two seem awfully close…” Kady snarled.

Penny raised an eyebrow at the accusation. He didn’t know Kady, but she seemed rather hostile.

He turned to Julia, “Are we not close in this timeline?”

“Not really. Just a few week ago you told me we weren’t real friends.”

Penny chuckled at the enlightenment.

Kady scoffed “I’m out of here.”

As Julia watched Kady storm away she knew not to try and stop her because nothing she could say would bring back the thing she wanted most, Penny. Kady needed alone time. With any luck she runs into Marina and that diverts her from her fury.

“What’s up her ass?”

“You two used to date before you went off to the underworld never to return.”

“She seems…delightful.”

“Yeah well at the time you were the only person she could stand, and it seemed vice versa.”

“Hmmm. You always told me I was reserved and altruistic, that is when I wasn’t being a complete asshole.”

Julia tried to fight off an oncoming smile. “Oddly enough that sounds exactly like you.”

The biggest smile lit Penny’s face. “Now you need to stop smiling at me like that.”

“I’m not doing what you were doing earlier. It’s called being friendly.”

“Oh yeah then why are you magically so close to me?”

Julia looked around to notice her surroundings and she was back in Penny’s personal space his hand was back to being around her waist.

“See what I mean, soulmates,” he whispered.

“We are not soulmates.” Julia rolled her eyes, “Stop saying that.”

“Now that’s where you’re wrong because I know for a fact that we’re soulmates.”

Penny could tell she was not convinced. So, he decided to explain how he knew they were soulmates, these weren’t just flowery words being thrown around. 

Taking a deep breathe he divulged their sordid tale, “There was a spell Quentin cast while you were both still alive. You two were fooling around being the giant nerds you were, practicing your Arabic, when Quentin found an ancient Sudanese spell. The spell was said to unveil your kindred soul, a partner to unlock your heart’s deepest desire.”

Julia couldn’t help but laugh at the corny words.

“Are you done yet?”

Still laughing, “I’m sorry.” She cleared her throat and put on a serious face, “I’m sorry; please continue.”

“I know it sounds lame as hell and that’s why it peaked Quentin’s interest. You were the one who informed me about the soulmates thing and how Quentin and Alice weren’t soulmates, but he didn’t tell her. He was already in love with her and didn’t want to give that up.”

“Who was his soulmate?”

“You didn’t tell me only that it was some guy.” Penny shrugged then got back to the story. “Anyway, with Quentin’s thoughts being so goddamn loud overthinking the spell’s results and lying to Alice, I eventually found out the spell was cast on you too and somehow involved me. But the thing was I already liked you.”

“You did?” Julia whispered so quietly she didn’t notice she said the words out loud.

“How could I not? You were so fucking brilliant, watching you learn magic and cast spells was enchanting. Beautiful on the inside as well as out; I actually tried being friendly with Quentin since you two were attached at the hip, and I wanted to be near you. You got me, you became my first real friend, and when I let you in, you helped me be less angry at the world. So, I tracked you down to the library, of course, asked you about it. You said, and I quote “Didn’t want to pressure me into something just because magic said its destiny.” That’s when I knew I loved you. We were never apart until that day you went to Fillory, and then was gone forever. But apparently love never dies because you're back, we’re both alive, and safe away from the Beast. I know you don’t remember the past timelines, but those feelings can’t be a once in a lifetime occurrence. Nor was it a mistake. I get that this puts you in an awkward position and that’s why I’ll wait for you to come around because I love you. I don’t want to pressure you into something just because magic said its destiny, kismet, or inevitable. I’ll wait.”

Julia was at a lost for words. There was nothing she could say after Penny’s declaration.

“Ummmm…” They both heard Josh enter the room, but neither looked away from one another. “Guys?”

“Yeah?” Julia answered Josh, still staring into Penny’s eyes.

Josh rushed through his interruption, “I got a bunny back from the gang and we’re needed back in Fillory.” He was clearly interrupting a very intimate moment and the longer they didn’t look at him the more awkward he felt.

“Let’s go then,” Penny held out his hand.

Julia looked at his hand for a second before grasping it firmly, then disappearing to the other world.

“No one ever waits for me.” Josh mumbled as he waived around a key hoping for another portal to show up.


End file.
